Bob Schneider

Bob Schneider (born October 12, 1965) is an Austin, Texas-based musician and artist, born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and raised in Munich, Germany. The son of an opera singer, he moved with his parents to Germany when he was two. He learned guitar and piano at an early age and made his first live appearances performing at his parents' parties.

He performed for years in various bands before embarking on a solo career. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso where he studied art to front his first band, the funk-and-rap outfit Joe Rockhead. The band independently released three albums before disbanding immediately prior to signing with a major label.

A stint with a jamming outfit called the Ugly Americans followed, which experienced some success as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band and Horde.

In 1997, Schneider went on to co-found The Scabs, which later merged with the Ugly Americans. With The Scabs, Bob Schneider made a further name for himself as the front man.

None of these bands gained much national recognition, but built solid reputations on the road. They were also a fixture in the Austin live music culture.

In 1999, Schneider became a solo act, though performing at first under the band name Lonelyland (which he later dropped as a band name, but titled his first major label album after). Schneider's musical approach as a solo artist has proven as eclectic as the diverse musical styles of his former bands -- a little bit singer/songwriter, a whole lot of bits and pieces of funk, country, rock, and folk.